historical study

Martin Luther King was not an unusual black man; in fact, he wanted much of what many black men before him, probably all black men and women wanted. But Martin Luther King was a very unusual man, who happened to be black. His degree of passion, his conviction, his hope, and his perseverance were unlike most before him, and most after him, with the inspired, God given desire to make the world a better place for everyone, including blacks. His vision was not just the result of respect and reliance by his people, it was divinely inspired so that his passion, his hope emerged and blossomed before millions, many of whom were not familiar with him, his history, or his prominence and reputation. He was possessed of those rare qualities, and that rare talent, of the ability to inspire others to believe in themselves, and the world, that they had the dignity to alter their own dynamics, the manner in which they lived, and in the manner in which they were treated by others. As an evangelist, he was superb. For that, like Jesus, and many other prophets who have been threatening to the status quo, his ability to show others the way to self respect and to peace were certainly the force of why his life was taken so early, and so brutally. He was more than a leader; he was a messiah for the many black people who had waited so long for one to lead them out of the psychological bondage which was still very real to them. He positioned himself to show the way, and how to do it in the least offensive manner possible, by non-violence. He was a pillar of strength that even whites unfamiliar with him understood the necessity of yielding to God's will, instinctively knowing that all men were equal, and that all needed the recognition of being equal. Indeed, whites were aware of their obligation under the Constitution to recognize that equality but felt no compulsion to expect it of themselves until Martin forced them to face the truth they had so long avoided. Not only did he demand of blacks the energy and commitment to themselves, he demanded the energy and commitment of whites to respect themselves by being brave enough to help resolve the problem that had long festered in American social reality. The timing was right; the message was right, and Martin was right. He allowed none out of God's boat and helped everyone see that upon that ship, we were all afloat upon the ocean of humanity, and would indeed survive or perish. That message remains very much a part of his legacy, and today's reality although we face other issues as well, and the issues are now broader than ever. No one on earth has the option to say no to God and expect that it will be of no consequence to the world. He was the most remarkable of men that America has ever produced guided by his own devine light within as a beacon of humanity for all to follow.

Let me get first vent about the frustrating parts of this book before I get to the good stuff. First, at 229 pages of text, this was a rather short book, made shorter by Hansen's annoying habit of repeating important stretches of speeches. Second, the chapter analyzing the various drafts of the speech is probably better suited to a scholarly dissection of the speech than to a popular book. As was the chapter describing King's preaching style. And I got tired of ascribing every change in the speech to MLK's "genius". The man was exhausted, under threat and working on the run. Surely some of his decisions could have gone differently?

But minor grumpiness aside, I found this book hard to put down. The description of the organization for the August 1963 March on Washington was fascinating in its details about the people who attended it. One got the impression that the day was pretty disorganized, with the crowd making decisions on its own about when to start marching. Hansen also did a nice job of showing the internal disharmonies among groups within "the movement," as well as hinting that MLK's leadership done to him rather than pursued by him -- less because of his ability to manage and lead than because of his philosophical sophistication, personal courage, stamina and eloquence. That King comes across as a preacher and a prophet (as opposed to a great organizer) does him no disservice, but actually helps to humanize him and make the Civil Rights movement more real. Hansen did a nice job handling the post-1963 life of the speech. He is honest about the impatience that some blacks felt about the 'dreaminess' of the speech, especially as the movement's gains stalled and the violence continued. Hansen nicely captures the slightly radioactive nature of the speech among national politicians (many of whom were wary of King's alleged Communist sympathies) in the years before King's death and the cloyingly hagiographic tributes about King and the speech after 1968.

Hansen shows how King's memory has been sanitized and rendered harmless by linking him exclusively with the "I Have a Dream" speech. In opposing the Jim Crow laws, a main (but not the only) point of the speech, King targeted a system that was abhorrent to Northern whites and a source of shame to many in the South. Getting rid of it was the relatively easy matter of making the abuses public. But King's next targets proved more difficult -- the hard work of eliminating more subtle forms of racism from American hearts on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line. King's premature death allowed Americans to accept him as a national martyr and prophet, but ironically delayed the more difficult soul-searching about America's war plans in Vietnam, its endemic racism and the blind economic violence perpetrated against the poor and powerless.

I read "The Dream" in one sitting this weekend. The book vividly recaptures the spirit of the time during which Rev. King developed and delivered this inspiring and world-changing speech. At first I was afraid that the author's decomposition of the speech would diminish the power and effectiveness of the speech. On the contrary, his deep exploration into the speech itself and the events leading up to that day, together with fresh perspectives on the moment itself and the years following its delivery enhanced my admiration for both the speech and Rev. King. The author's inescapable conclusion is that there was much, much more at work than a man delivering a televised speech to a supportive crowd. This singular moment in Rev. King's life was the catalyst for much of the advancement that we all benefit from today. Yet this same event is also being used by some to impede further progress in the complete fulfillment of The Dream. This is a book I can wholeheartedly recommend for anyone who wants to learn about the history of that day and its subsequent impact over the next 40 years. It will also be of particular relevance to those with an interest in public speaking.